Tom Dee

I just asked my communications and IT colleagues at #Stanford to consider hosting a #Mastodon server for our University community (as MIT has already done: mastodon.mit.edu).

Such institutional sponsorships (e.g., higher ed, academic associations, etc.) seem like a compelling & sustainable equilibrium for the #TwitterMigration. I also think organizations that do so would benefit in several ways without meaningful new risks.
#OpenSource #fediverse #Twitter #EconTwitter #Economics

Nov 8, 2022 at 3:33pmWeb
Show threadSteve B HoltNov 8, 2022
@tdee Completely agree. I had this same thought when I first came here. News organizations, think tanks, and government agencies/institutions could follow suit and provide a means for verification and bringing their audience from Twitter.
Show threadPhil ReesNov 10, 2022
@SteveBHolt @tdee Yes. I don't think anyone committed to dissemination and outreach would be comfortable on a platform that has paid prioritization. It drowns out the voices of those who are already marginalized.
Show thread(((Cindy Weinstein)))Nov 8, 2022
@tdee. Excellent idea.
Show threadDaphneNov 8, 2022

@tdee I love the idea of schools serving as sites. I would be curious (not skeptical, just curious) as to how you would state the case that there are no meaningful new risks.

What type of federation would you expect with the larger universe of ActivityPub instances? Who moderates the school's instance and makes the federation decisions?

Show threadokanogen VerminEnemyFromWithinNov 8, 2022
@daphne @tdee
I imagine they would set it up similarly to college radio or newspaper.
Show threadDaphneNov 8, 2022

@Okanogen @tdee But in neither of those cases would the school be storing and/or serving content and metadata from people in alternate legal regimes with the potential to include illegal or otherwise objectionable (subject to taste) content...

One can make the case that making a real and effective effort at moderation and defederation when needed should be a sufficient shield, but IANAL. It certainly doesn't seem as straightforward as a college radio station to me, though.

Show threadAndy McGuire 🐕Nov 9, 2022
@daphne @Okanogen @tdee
Set to unlisted -
Can you update this thread with the outcome, I would be quite interested to know what happens. I do think organisations around the world have sat up and taken notice of what has happened in the last few weeks. And obviously recognised the benefit that being present on a decentralised platform has over a commercial platform where someone can change the rules on a whim.
Show threadTom DeeNov 9, 2022

@asjmcguire @daphne @Okanogen Thanks for asking. I learned the University was already monitoring these developments very closely (both here and on the bird site). I don't think any move is imminent but they clearly want to support the visibility of the faculty & the University and are waiting to see where we "land."

This is credible & sensible to me; I'm consistently impressed by the staff & support here. They will move quickly & well if #twittermigration develops as I hope it does.

Show threadAndy McGuire 🐕Nov 9, 2022
@tdee @daphne @Okanogen I personally feel that the damage has been done now. Even if he quit the bird site tomorrow - everyone is now painfully aware that the platforms we took for granted for so long, could simply get bought tomorrow.
Show threadDaphneNov 9, 2022
@asjmcguire @tdee @Okanogen to It would be a leadership move to get involved on principle. If unis be inclined to be followers now, and wait for critical masses, then ok, but it's a bit ahistorical. Who was hosting the early internet? They didn't do that because it had really caught on/gained traction with the general public. They did it because it solved current problems. This is progress and a can be a solution to current problems, too. It's open source, so room to really contribute. My 2c.
Show threadTom DeeNov 8, 2022
@daphne Those are reasonable questions. My general optimism on institutional risk centers on the fact that we already navigate issues around free speech on a regular basis (in classrooms, Slack channels, publications of all sorts) as well as around how community members are prominently engaged in the world.
Show threadDaphneNov 8, 2022
@tdee OK. Thanks for your response! I see the difference with a federated server in that the server would host and serve data from the other federated servers. I suppose one could make the case that students browsing the web are also bringing external content into school systems, though the manner in which a portion of federated (external) content is displayed under the home domain seems like a potentially relevant distinction.
Show threadJesse RothsteinNov 8, 2022
@tdee @ucberkeley_cto, what say you?
Show threadDaniel Howard 🌻Nov 8, 2022
@tdee Stanford hosts an email server, I reckon ...
Show threadGianluca Baio 🛵Nov 8, 2022
@tdee I've mentioned this to #UCL too. I hope this happens!
Show threadWendyNov 8, 2022
@tdee this is actually a beautiful idea, I have said previously that if we could homogenize servers based on communities, and then cross pollinate all of that with users we could be an incredible social network
Show threadAris TeonNov 8, 2022
@tdee Wonderful! Let's fight the corporate domination of our virtual public town squares, which has poisoned the internet.
Show threadAris TeonNov 8, 2022
@tdee Wonderful! Let's fight the corporate domination of our virtual public town squares, which has poisoned the internet.
Show threadBen Brown, MD, MS (he / him)Nov 8, 2022
@tdee Would love to see #BrownUniversity take this move, too!
Show threadMeNov 8, 2022
@tdee I worry about public universities creating instances on which faculty, staff, and students might all become subject to undue pressure from hostile state legislators and others. #AcademicFreedom
Show threadTom DeeNov 8, 2022
@dambaras Sadly, I think you are right about the potential issues unique to public universities in the current climate. This is why I think independent academic associations (& other non-profits) should also consider sponsoring instances.
Show threaddispanserNov 8, 2022
@tdee Reminds me of the good old days, where every educational institution was running their own FTP server to download software 😀
Show threadbobNov 8, 2022
@dispanser @tdee and irc servers \o/
Show threadRichard A. WellsNov 8, 2022

@tdee I work for #Harvard and your post made me do a quick google of Harvard and #Mastodon, turned up this: https://mcz.harvard.edu/news/mcz-receives-13000-year-old-mastodon

Hmmmm, not _quite_ what's needed.

MCZ receives 13,000 year old mastodon

The MCZ has received the partial skeleton of a 13,000-year-old mastodon excavated from a site in upstate New York. The Bowser Road mastodon, nicknamed John Charles, was donated by the three investigators responsible for excavating and reporting the find. The MCZ thanks Stephen Vaughn, Dennis Vesper and Richard Michael Gramly for their generous gift.

Show threadTom DeeNov 8, 2022
@rawells 😂 A search of #Stanford and #Mastodon turns up a poem that actually speaks quite well to the moment: https://web.stanford.edu/~bkunde/fb-press/poems/twosteps/B-0076.html
Submersible Mastodon / by Brian Kunde

Show threadShrikeTron🔠💉x5Nov 8, 2022
@tdee This is where the US government should also be hosting its own for Congress, POTUS, etc so it's not dependent on the whims of a single private company.
Show threadDuende ModeNov 8, 2022
@tdee The fact that you can follow anybody on any server yet switch to your local view will likely make it the communication vehicle of choice
Show threadTouaregtweetNov 8, 2022

@tdee

Our @Radboud_uni Nijmegen is here.

Show threadDigitalgerry ☘️🇫🇷Nov 8, 2022
@tdee you mean #twexit or #twexiting
Show threadRuss PoldrackNov 8, 2022
@tdee hey Tom, we are also talking about this - will email...
Show threadGerardo Cisneros 🇺🇦Nov 8, 2022
@tdee Sounds like USENET is coming back!
Show threadDan UdwaryNov 8, 2022
@tdee I considered asking my Institution to host a server, but decided that moderation would be a potential problem and have not. Curious to hear how people vs Unis vs other would/should handle this.
Show threadj.scherrerNov 8, 2022
@tdee the MIT instance is managed by volunteers and not affiliated with university admin. IMO it should be this way at every university to avoid community getting coopted by university publicity machine!
Show threadMaia KB ChowdhuryNov 8, 2022
@tdee makes a lot of sense.
Show threadAlGRhythmNov 8, 2022
@tdee What a marvelous idea!
Show threadTreesNov 8, 2022
@tdee Can I get a discount on tuition if I just use Mastodon to take classes? :-)
Show threadBart MeeusNov 8, 2022
@tdee a great idea! Paging @philipdutre since Univ itself isn't on here it seems.
Show threadPhilip DutréNov 10, 2022
@Bartmeeus @tdee Als je bedoelt dat de #kuleuven zelf servers moet beginnen opzetten ... studentenorganisaties zullen dat misschien wel doen. Vanuit #kuleuven zelf, been there, doen that (cfr (pre)internet in de jaren 80 en 90).
Show threadThiemo FetzerNov 9, 2022
@tdee Yes, I did raise an IT service request at Warwick on the weekend. I totally agree and we should all do the same in our own institutions.
Show threadiHogi 📱💻🚵‍♀️🏌️‍♀️🎸 🏄‍♂️Nov 9, 2022
@tdee Yes!
Show threadTravis KJ5DCLNov 9, 2022
@tdee man that'd be dope
Show threadChad Jordahl  Nov 9, 2022
@tdee This is an excellent idea. The organizations will benefit, as will #mastodon and the rest of the #fediverse in general
Show threadtichoNov 9, 2022

@tdee I mean, if it's good enough for the European Union... 🤷 😃

https://social.network.europa.eu/about

EU Voice

EU Voice is the official ActivityPub platform of the EU institutions. With EU Video, it is part of an alternative social media pilot proposed and provided by the European Data Protection Supervisor.

Mastodon hosted on social.network.europa.eu
Show threadTammy Hunt Nov 10, 2022
@tdee Wonderful!!
Show threadMoffin'toshNov 10, 2022
@tdee Counterpoint: pleroma
Show threadSarah ChurchwellNov 10, 2022
@tdee I was just having this discussion with colleagues at the University of London last night. Do you think HE orgs setting up their own servers will recreate silos, or just facilitate participation?
Show threadTom DeeNov 10, 2022
@sarahchurchwell As a newcomer, I'm still learning how #Mastodon works but I think the ready access to several feeds ("Local" "Home" and "Federated") would avoid creating silos. The "Local" thread could be a community space (like a Slack channel more people actually use). The Home and Federated feeds connect to the broader world.
Show threadJBoneNov 10, 2022
@tdee
Show threadTomas Bruno Choy 🐐🇨🇦Nov 10, 2022
@tdee it looks more of an upside for academic institutions. #fediverse #Mastodon #tooters
Show threadRomeo ValentinNov 10, 2022
@tdee Thanks, that's great! I too think that this is the next step forward in supporting a healthy federated environment, especially for academics!
Do you think university servers should host only university affiliates, or be open to everyone?
Hosting only university affiliates would probably make moderation a lot easier, since a student's/other person's real identity is tied to their fedi account.
Show threadTom DeeNov 10, 2022

@romeo I suspect it will make sense for university instances to host only community members. The "local" feed can be like a Slack channel while there's still connection to the world through one's Home and Federated feeds.

I've learned that MIT's instance is moderated by students. If there's to be a mastodon.stanford.edu, I suspect it will have to start initially with motivated & capable students and faculty.

Show threadMary Alice Fallon YeskeyNov 10, 2022
@tdee thank you for this, I posed the same question here at Johns Hopkins as I was surprised there are essentially no official JHU accounts or instances. Agree that it seems a natural fit for hosting.
Show threadKris Mitka  Nov 10, 2022
@tdee I read early the MIT mastodon server isn’t affiliated with the school.
Show threadTom DeeNov 10, 2022
@mitka I've since learned that the MIT instance is moderated by volunteers (students?) but is obviously on their official domain. Maybe that's a good first step towards building out capacity?
Show threadKris Mitka  Nov 10, 2022
@tdee Sizing requirements seems like a natural starting point. That tends to drive the architecture of a deployment. From there it becomes more clear how many moderators the university will need.
An alumni server would be a great offering too.
Show threadKris Mitka  Nov 10, 2022
@tdee That last thought was compelling. I just reached out to my alumni association about launching an instance.
Picture recent graduates moving their account from the university server to the alumni association server when they graduate. It seems to support the goal of promoting networking and a continued relationship with the university.
Show threadKris Mitka  Nov 10, 2022
@tdee universities should collaborate on an academic publication service integrated with ActivityPub. Replace the paywalled journals and sites as Mastodon is providing an alternative to Twitter.
Show threadBoskee ↙️↙️↙️↙️Nov 10, 2022
@tdee It's also a great way to "verify" academic staff and shield them from any targeted harassment, as the organisation's IT administrators could ban offending servers that do not moderate their platform sufficiently.
Show threadPete ForsythNov 10, 2022

@tdee

There was a great article posted about this recently, re: the CBC:

https://mastodon.oeru.org/@PeteForsyth/109309896956668717

Pete Forsyth (@[email protected])

Mastodon as a platform that offers existing organizations to break free from corporate-run social media: https://theconversation.com/canadas-public-broadcaster-should-use-mastodon-to-provide-a-social-media-service-194116

OERu Social - Mastodon
Show threadJeff ShengNov 11, 2022
@tdee Makes total sense to do them by academic institution. I would just wonder how the moderation part would work (though I guess it would really be self-monitored the way Slack channels are now through the school an almost all students wound be careful about what they posted). As an alum, would be happy to also be able join if that were possible :)